Great American Desert

Santa Fe Trail

trail opened by merchants for trading purposes following Mexico's liberalization of the formerly restrictive trading policies of Spain
crossed over Indian territory
difficult road that included Bent's Fort and frontier contact

Oregon Constitution

American & British over Oregon territory

President James K. Polk was anti-British; wanted all territory south of 54'40
Polk was willing to compromise: 49th parallel as border, with British inheriting Vancouver and moving its operations to Victoria

Dr. John McLoughlin

settlers in Oregon

first: commercial operations, frontier of inclusion
-Great Britain & US shared it as a result of Convention of 1818
-first European settlers were fur trappers & Indian wives
-next, Protestant and Catholic missionaries
-finally, midwest farmers who made up most of their permanent settlers

policy with Spain when Mexico gained independence

Bent's Fort

fort on the Santa Fe Trail on the Arkansas River
traded beaver skins and buffalo
large amounts of diversity and interaction; men of all nationalities
other spinoff communities subsisted by trapping, hunting, and farming - mixed frontier

Three Texan communities

balance among three communities in Texas broken

centrists gained control of the government in Mexico City and decided to exercise control over the northern province; Mexican government took complete control, leading to American discussion of rebellion

Liberty Party stance against slavery

Free-Soil Party

people who were anti-slavery but were not radical enough for Liberty Party
shifted focus to ways slavery posed a threat to northern expansion
said northern farmers would be forced to compete against large planters using slave labor
many were antiblack: wanted to ban blacks from all new territories
"whitesmanism"

Zachary Taylor as a presidential candidate

Remember the Alamo

Texans had been holding the Alamo against a siege by Mexican troops
A brutal battle defeated the Texans, but...
This became a battle cry that rallied their remaining forces, and two months later Texas was granted its independence

Arostook War

Ostend Manifesto

attempted seizure of Cuba from Spain
A declaration (1854) issued from Ostend, Belgium, by the U.S. ministers to England, France, and Spain, stating that the U.S. would be justified in seizing Cuba if Spain did not sell it to the U.S.